The Forgotten (2004)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Joseph Ruben

Writer (WGA):

Gerald Di Pego (written by)

Release Date:

24 September 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

You'll Never Forget The Ones You Love

Plot:

Told that their children never existed, a man and woman soon discover that there's a much bigger enemy at work.

Plot Keywords:

Psychiatrist | Memory | Mother Son Relationship | Alien Abduction | Memory Loss

Awards:

6 nominations

Cast

Julianne Moore	...	Telly Paretta
Christopher Kovaleski	...	Sam
Matthew Pleszewicz	...	Sam at 5
Anthony Edwards	...	Jim Paretta
Jessica Hecht	...	Eliot
Linus Roache	...	A Friendly Man
Gary Sinise	...	Dr. Jack Munce
Dominic West	...	Ash Correll
Katie Cooper	...	Library Clerk
Scott Nicholson	...	Cop
P.J. Morrison	...	Cop
Robert Wisdom	...	Carl Dayton
Tim Kang	...	Agent Alec Wong
Kathryn Faughnan	...	Lauren Correll
Alfre Woodard	...	Det. Anne Pope

Also Known As:

Stranger (Philippines: English title) (review title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense thematic material, some violence and brief language.

Runtime:

91 min | USA:94 min (extended version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #38908) | Malaysia:U | Germany:12 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Chile:TE | Czech Republic:12 | Finland:K-15 | Ireland:12 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:PT | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | UK:12A

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Revolution Studios

Trivia:

Zak Penn did uncredited revisions on the script.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Ash smashes a large window to exit from the house on Long Island, after the glass has shattered and fallen, there is still glass along the top of the frame as Ash and Telly start to walk through the frame. However, when the shot cuts to outside, we see them stepping through the frame and there is no more glass along the top of the frame.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Dr. Jack Munce: How much time did you spend at the dresser compared to last week?
Telly Paretta: Less.
Dr. Jack Munce: How much less?
Telly Paretta: I don't know exactly.
Dr. Jack Munce: You wanna make a guess, roughly, for the week?
Telly Paretta: Oh, not even an hour a day.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Remembering 'The Forgotten' (2005) (V)

The Alternate Ending Saves the Story

Telly Paretta (Julianne Moore) is a mother who can not forget her nine years son Sam, who died in a plane crash. When the memory of Sam is erased from the persons close to her, Telly investigates and finds Ash Correll (Dominic West), a father who misses his daughter, who died in the same accident. A further investigation of them shows a kind of conspiracy with a surprising conclusion.

"The Forgotten" is a good thriller, which recalls X-Files, but the theatrical conclusion is horrible. I was very disappointed with the last fifteen minutes, but the alternate ending in the DVD is better and better and saves the story. I am suspicious to write about the wonderful Julianne Moore, since I am a great fan of her, but she has another excellent performance. It is amazing how beautiful and talented this actress is. The cinematography is excellent, the effects are sometimes very scary and I enjoyed this movie. I could be better with some improvements in the screenplay, but anyway I recommend it to fans of X-Files. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Os Esquecidos" ("The Forgotten")